Apparatus for reclaiming soda-ash



(No Model.)

L. D. ARM$TRONG. APPARATUS FOR RBGLAIMING SODA ASH.

' No. 462,643. Patented Ma 7, 1889.

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75 Q $.MVAEK UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS D. ARMSTRONG, OF LOOK HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING SODA-ASH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 402,643, dated May 7, 1889. Application filed October 24, 1888. Serial No. 289,018. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, LEWIS D. ARMSTRONG, of Lock Haven, county of Clinton, and State :of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for Reclaiming Soda-Ash,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for reclaiming soda-ash; and it consists of certain improvements, whichare fullyset forth in the following specification and shown in the acoompanying drawings, which form part thereof.

While my invention is more especially adapted to reclaim soda ash, it is equally suited to any other liquid matter from which it is desired toextract the water by evaporation.' My invention is intended to more perfectly accomplish the evaporation of the water from the liquor by spraying or flooding it upon heated pipes within a closed cylinder or tank. These pipes are arranged one below another, so that the liquor falls from the heated surface of one upon that of another, and being thereby subjected to contact with'a large hot surface it is very thoroughly freed of its water before reaching the bottom of the cylinder or tank, whence it'is collected into a vessel for further use. The steam and vapor arising in the cylinder from the evaporation of the liquor are drawn off by a pump or other suitable vacuum-creating device to a condenser. The vacuum-creating deviceremoves the pressure inthe evaporating-cylinder and enables, the liquor being treated to vaporize at very low temperatures. The steam-pipes in my apparatus are preferably never submerged in the liquor, which merely falls from one to the other in its passage to the bottom of the tank. In practice I find it expedient to use a number of tanks, which are connected with each other in series, the steam passing from one to the other, as is hereinafter more fully described. The liquor is introduced into the tanks by a long pipe provided With holes or perforations, or other means whence it is sprayed or flooded upon the heated pipes.

Referring now to the drawings for greater particularity, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved apparatus, showing the tank in section; and Fig. 2'is a plan view showing the manner of connecting a series of the tanks together.

A is a digester for the liquor, connected by -.--a pipe, a, with the drainer B.-

O is a pipe leading from the drainer B to the main D. From this main extends a series of supply-pipes, E, provided with perforaare preferably so constructed that the pipe may be Withdrawn from the tank for the pur-' pose of cleaning it without allowing steam to enter into the inner compartment of the tank or escape into the atmosphere.

I area series of tubes arranged under each other in the tank F and opening into steamchambers J and J in the ends of the tank. Steam enters one of these chambers, J, by a pipe, M, and thence passes through the tubes I into the other steam-chambers, whence the water of condensation is carried back to the boiler K by a pipe, L. Each tank may have a number of these series of tubes I and a corresponding numberof supply-pipes E. When a number of tanks F is employed, this pipe I conducts the steam from one tank to another, leading from the last to the boiler. (See Fig. 2.) In practice I find it best to have the tanks F located above the boiler K, to keep a continual supply of water through the pipe L for re-evaporation in the boiler. As the function of the steam passing through the tubes I is merely to heat them, it is evident that hot air might be used in place of the steam for this purpose, though I prefer the former method.

N is a chamber connected with the bottom of the tank F bythe pipe '11. The heavy substances freed from the greater part of the water fall to the bottom of the tank and escape th'ence into the chamber N through the pipe 'n, whence they may be carried to a second tank to be further concentrated or to be burned to recover the solid incombustible matter, or otherwise utilized. When the object is to reclaim the soda-ash, after the liquor has been treated, the substance remaining after evaporation is collected in the chamber N. This substance is composed partly of soda and partly of vegetable matter, and the sodaash will remain free from all foreign substance upon combustion.

O is a drum in the top of the cylinder to collect the vapor and steam of evaporation which is carried olf through a pipe, P, to a condenser, Q, or to a second tank, to furnish heat in place of live steam to evaporate under greater vacuum. Cold water may be introduced into the condenser by a pipe, S.

V is a pipe to allow the waste water to escape from the condenser Q, and may have a check-valve, w.

R is a pump, which may create a vacuum in the condenser, and hence in the evaporatingcylinder itself. The pump may simply remove the water of condensation and air, a1- lowing the vacuum to be maintained by the condenser itself.

The particular means for producing and maintaining the vacuum are of secondary importance. A pipe, T, may lead from the discharge of the pump R to deliver the hot water thence to the boiler K.

When a number of tanks F is used, the

drums 0 may be connected together by pipes f, and the vapor or steam caused by evaporation may be drawn 01f to the condenser through the pipe F, connected with thelast of the tanks; or the drums 0 may be connected with the steam-chambers J or J by pipes E, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the steam and vapor of evaporation in one tank may be circulated through the tubes I in the next in vapor or steam to the condenser Q. The solid matter falling to the bottom of the tank will be collected in the chamber N, whence it may be removed to be treated as aforesaid. Preferably none of the tubes I are submerged in the liquor, which falls from one to the other for the purpose of evaporation.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of an air-tight tank provided with steam-chambers at its ends, a series of tubes connecting said steam-chambers, means, substantially as described, to circulate steam through said steam chambers and tubes, a pipe to spray liquor upon said tubes, and means to draw off the vapor and steam of evaporation from said tank.

2. The combination of an air-tight tank providedwith steam-chambers at its ends, a series of tubes connecting said steam-chambers, means, substantially as described, to circulate steam through said steam chambers and tubes, and a pipe to spray liquor upon said tubes,

extending into the tank through a steam-tight case and removable therefrom without allowing steam to enter from the steam-chamber into the inner compartment of the tank.

3. The combination of anumber of air-tight tanks, 11, having steam-chambers J J at their ends, and tubes I, opening into said steamchambers, with the pipes 2, connecting a steam-chamber of one tank with the inner compartment of another, whereby the vapor from the inner compartment of one tank is caused to circulate through the heating-tubesand steamchambers of the next tank.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

LEWIS D. ARMSTRONG.

\Vitnesses:

H. S. MORGAN, W. H. BARNARD. 

